Regional News of Saturday, 1 September 2007

Source: GNA

Training on management of Capitation Grant advocated

Nankese, Aug. 31, GNA- Ms. Augustina Aboagye, the Suhum Kraboa Coaltar District Director of Education, has called for training on the disbursement and monitoring of the Capitation Grant for district directors of education and school heads to help check embezzlement and misappropriation of funds.

She said despite the fact that the introduction of the Grant had increased school enrolment, its disbursement and monitoring at the school level was ineffective.

Ms. Aboagye made the call at a forum on the Grant for stakeholders in education, organized by the Ghana National Education Campaign Coalition (GNECC) at Nankese on Friday.

Mr. Godfred Okyere, the Member of Parliament for Ayensuano, said government was committed to ensuring quality education for Ghanaian children hence the introduction of the Grant. She appealed to the district assembly to enact bye-laws to prevent children from attending funerals to ensure that they studied during the evenings.

Mr. Okyere presented footballs to all the basic schools in the district towards the promotion of sports.

Ms. Francisca Bortey, the Eastern Regional Chairman of GNECC, said the Coalition noted that even though the introduction of the Grant had resulted in many children going to school, some were yet to benefit from the policy and said parents had no excuse for not sending their children to school.